Text: Hebrews Heb. 3:7-15
Aim: to emphasize the urgency of salvation
Thesis: NOW is the only time we have to obey God.
Introduction: A couple of weeks ago I was rummaging through my file of funeral sermons, searching for a poem that I thought I might have stored there. Sifting through all those services from the past 23 years reconnected me with former friends and with folks I hadn’t thought about in years – a lot of familiar faces floated up from the depths of my memory.
One in particular resurrected a sad scenario. I ran across the funeral service of a man named Joe: nobody you’d know. He lived back in North Carolina – was a house painter – in his late 50’s. But it reminded me of the truth of our lesson today: NOW is the only time we have to obey God!
I remember well that funeral sermon. I recall that I had delivered it on a Monday morning, and that only the Friday before I had been in Joe’s house, visiting with him. You see, he was not a Christian. I was acquainted with Joe because he had relatives in our congregation, and had been visiting our worship services for several weeks. That Friday we had talked about his soul, and about God’s good news of salvation, and Joe had agreed that he should obey the gospel, that he would obey the gospel, just …… not yet. He wasn’t quite ready, he intended to one day, someday, someday soon, but Joe wanted to wait, he wanted to be sure, he wanted his wife to take that step with him. Oh, he was glad I came, he was going to get back with me, and Joe intended to become a Christian; just……not yet.
And there I was, the following Monday, standing in front of his grieving family and a little gathering of friends, preaching Joe’s funeral. He had died unexpectedly over the weekend – a sudden heart attack, as I recall. When he passed away the family contacted me, because I was the last and maybe only contact Joe had had with a church. And while I struggled that Monday morning to offer words of comfort and consolation, inside I was thinking, “If only….if only.”
This morning I want to talk about my favorite subject: the good news of Jesus! However, I specifically want to examine one crucial aspect of the gospel – its EXIGENCY. (If that’s not a familiar word, don’t worry: I had to look it up, too. It means “a situation that requires immediate attention”).
When I speak of the EXIGENCY of the gospel I simply mean that when we are presented with the Cross: when we realize that without the atonement of Jesus we are lost – when we know that there are changes we need to make in our life – when we understand what we can do to respond – then we are faced with a CHOICE of immediate consequence. That is because of the unique nature of the gospel: it is NOT a “sales pitch,” nor is it a lecture. When we hear the good news of Jesus God Himself, through His Holy Spirit, is speaking to us – and the way we respond at that moment may very well determine our eternal destiny.
FOUR FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
- God wants everyone to be enjoy his fellowship, experience his Spirit, receive his blessings.
Ezekiel 18:20 – “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”
2 Peter 3:9 “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
- But God will not save us unless WE indicate we want to be his children. John 3:16-18
- Without that response on our part, even the Almighty is powerless to save us. That explains why, in the Bible, we often encounter the startling spectacle of the Creator of the universe, tenderly pleading with his creatures to turn back to Him. God respects our free will so much he gives us the freedom of choice, even though we may choose the wrong.
Isaiah 65:2 – “All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good”
Luke 13:34 – “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but YOU WERE NOT WILLING”
- But this offer, like so many offers we receive in life, comes with an expiration date!
2 Peter 3:9-10 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is PATIENT with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. BUT the day of the Lord WILL come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare”
That is why the apostles, in their preaching, always urged their hearers to ACT on the message:
*make a public decision to follow his Son: confess him openly, carry our Cross, be united in his death, burial, and resurrection through the acceptance of baptism.
*every conversion story in the book of Acts ends, not with some private prayer by an individual to accept Jesus into their heart, but with a prompt & public demonstration of acceptance of the message of the apostles! People always were called upon to OBEY what they heard! Paul was told, “What are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).
3 REASONS WHY WE NEED TO ACCEPT THE GRACE OF GOD
WHEN WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY:
- The first reason typically offered is that we don’t know when Jesus will return, but when He DOES come, the door will be closed! REVIEW Matthew 25:1-13 “the door was shut”- But: this ISN’T the most important reason for the EXIGENCY of the gospel!
- A second obvious reason is that we don’t know when OUR life will end!
Whenever some well-known celebrity unexpectedly dies at a fairly young age, there is always that same startled reaction: Elvis, or JFK, or Marilyn Monroe, Robin Williams, or Curt Cobain, or Amy Winehouse……they all remind us of the intrusion, the interruption, the impartiality of death. But I’m not sure why death keeps catching us by surprise – because the fact of the matter is, every town has a cemetery, every newspaper carries the obituaries, the funeral homes never close!
James 4:13-17 – “And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, ‘Today – at the latest, tomorrow – we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.’ You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, ‘If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that’.” (The Message) But THIS isn’t the most important reason for the EXIGENCY of the gospel!
- MOST IMPORTANTLY: Because when we fail to respond to God’s call, we are doing more than making a choice – we are shaping and making a HEART!
READ Hebrews 3:7-15 “Today….Today…..Today”
Here is the true EXIGENCY of the gospel: when God’s Spirit speaks to our soul, when He breaks through the shell of our selfishness and touches our heart, we should act! If we refuse repeatedly to repent – if we delay and drag our feet and make excuses – every time we hear the call of God but reject it – we are making our heart harder, and colder, and less receptive – and the time may come when we are unable to muster up an attitude of repentance!
HOW DOES GOD SPEAK TO US?
- Certainly, through the voice of the Scriptures as they are read or preached.
- Through the voice of loved ones who speak to us about our soul.
- The marvelous creation God has placed around us testifies to his wisdom, power, and care.
- The conscience He has placed within us reminds us of our responsibility to Him.
- The blessings He showers upon us ought to make us cognizant of His goodness.
- The trials and troubles of life may often be His chastening, to bring us to our spiritual senses.
Any of these may be used by God’s Holy Spirit to speak to our soul: but will we listen?
2 Corinthians 6:2 – “Behold NOW is the acceptable time; NOW is the day of salvation”
We do not experience life in years, or months, or even days: life comes in the NOW – in this moment – and perhaps no other!
CONCLUSION: A CASE STUDY
TURN TO Acts 24. Here Paul is in prison, where he is visited by Felix, the Roman governor of Judea. Felix was married to a Jewish woman, so unlike Pilate, his predecessor, Felix probably had some acquaintance with religion. In verses 24-25 – “Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was AFRAID and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
On Judgment Day – standing before God Almighty, would we want to tell the Lord, “I heard the gospel – knew of your great love – and I ALMOST did something about it.”
In light of the exigency of the gospel, may I ask you a personal question: are YOU ready to meet the Lord? If today were your last day on this earth – and it well could be: would you be headed for heaven?
If not, can you hear God’s Spirit speaking to you now? And if you do, are you ready to say “Yes”?
Dan Williams